| Irvine, CA - (March 6, 2008) 7NEWS (WHDH-TV) is a fast-paced news
organization in Boston that often travels around the country covering
big news stories. At the Super Bowl, in Arizona, WHDH used an exciting
new piece of technology that allowed them to be live not only from the
stadium where they had positioned their satellite truck but also from
celebrity parties and team practice facilities that were miles away.
7NEWS turned to On Call Communications
(OCC) of Orange County, California for their Fly and Drive Portable SNG
System called QuickSPOT. The Quick SPOT is a .96m antenna that can
attach to any vehicle with roof racks. The portable system has a GPS on
board so finding the satellite only takes a push of a button. There is
no need to call for satellite time or contact an access center to
transmit.
Satellite time is offered by Intelsat's
OnDemand Platform. Broadcasters only pay for the satellite time they
actually use. Instead of buying a 5-minute block and using 1 minute to
feed video they pay for 1 minute. Turn the knob and you are
transmitting. It's as easy as turning on a 2 Ghz microwave transmitter.
And they didn't have to pay to ship the
system; it was compact enough to fit into their satellite truck heading
to Arizona. Upon arrival, it took less than 45 minutes to build and
test the system which was mounted onto a rented mini-van.
QuickSPOT enabled 7NEWS to have their news and sports
anchors live from the stadium while reporters went live at different
venues in and around Phoenix.
After using QuickSPOT for a few days,
veteran 7NEWS reporter Dan Hausle e-mailed the News Director and
Operations Manager saying "Just wanted to let you know that the
QuickSPOT system under the operation of Mike Howley is wonderful! It's
opened logistical options so smoothly and simply it's hard to
appreciate how revolutionary it is. Mike's set up in the mini-van is
quick and comfortable to use. I love it. In a word, WOW!"
The QuickSPOT system was such a success
that they included it in their "Super Tuesday" coverage as well. The
system was packed up and shipped from Arizona to Chicago so 7NEWS could
report live from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign headquarters.
About On Call Communications
On Call Communications, headquartered in Orange County, CA provides
rapid-deployment satellite systems for broadcasting, disaster recovery,
commercial and governmental clients. Specializing in mobile
communications systems, On Call offers an array of portable,
auto-deploy antennas to fit virtually any situation. Conveniently
packaged, pre-configured baseband electronics allow users to connect
video, phone and data applications within minutes of deployment.
Contact:
Erin Ludden 949-707-4729 x 25
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